A zeer pot refrigerator, also known as a pot-in-pot refrigerator, or simple a Zeer (in Arabic) is a type of clay pot evaporative cooling device that provides a way to keep vegetables fresh without the use of electricity. The pots are simple devices that can be produced locally by artisans, and made from local clays. The zeer pot consists of two pots, one inside the other with a layer of sand in between that is kept damp to provide water for the evaporative cooling process. Clay pot coolers have been used for centuries to help farmers reduce food spoilage and waste, increase their income, and limit the health hazards of spoiled foods. Clay pot coolers are typically used at the household level due to their simple construction and relatively small size. The zeer pot was popularized in 1995 by Mohammed Bah Abba in Nigeria.
An analysis of this technology can be found here.
Suggestions for further research
Because of poor road conditions and lack of fast transportation from the fields to the market place, many farmers experience rapid drop of quality on their vegetables. The price they can get out of their produce on the market depends on this quality. And it is potentially much profit for each farmer to make here if we can develop a transportation vessel of the same principle as the zeer pot. The design and material choice needs to fulfill some requirements, such as low weight so it not waste too much fuel of the transportation vehicle. And it needs to be sturdy and reusable or recyclable. And perhaps even able to combine with solar still technology?[expansion needed]
Researching chimney addons, to reach into air higher up, with more wind speed[expansion needed]
Researching how to increase surface area of the sand layer[expansion needed] (possibly you can make the outer clay pot's interior and exterior surface carved, rugged, roughened or chiseled, to increase surface area, to increase evaporation. There are zeolits, with extremely large surface area, very porous)
See also
- Zeer pot refrigeration (design) - detailed design issues and modeling.
Interwiki links
External links
- http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2004/september/refrigeration.htm
- http://practicalaction.org/html/agro_processing/docs29/FC29_34.pdf
- Emily Cummings upgraded modern version : http://www.emilycummins.co.uk/about#inventions
- MIT D-Lab https://d-lab.mit.edu/resources/projects/evaporative-cooling-technologies-improved-vegetable-storage